1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and particularly to the automatic control of the brightness of fluorescent LCDs. Description of Related Art
Fluorescent liquid crystal displays combine the visual impact of emissive (i.e. non-liquid crystal) displays with the virtues of liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. Fluorescent LCDs are uniformly bright and have a hemispherical angle of view, yet complex display patterns can be manufactured cheaply. They are readily visible in low ambient light levels at which conventional LCDs are hard to read, yet do not wash out in high ambient light levels as do conventional emissive displays.
Such a fluorescent LCD is described in our British Patent Specification No: 2,169,092A and in an article by R. Van Ewyk et al in Displays, Oct. 1986, 155-160. A pleochroic fluorescent dye, such as that described in our British Patent Specification No: 2,189,502A, is dissolved in a liquid crystal, and the mixture is used to fill a conventional LCD cell. Both the fluorescence and the light absorption by such a display are anisotropic. In a fluorescent LCD such as is described in the above references, when no electric field is applied to a segment of the display, there is strong absorption of some stimulating radiation and consequently strong fluorescence from the display. When a field is applied, however, the liquid crystal and dye molecules realign so that there are only weak absorption and weak fluorescence. Hence, the display generally consists of dark characters on a bright background.
It is also possible to construct a fluorescent liquid crystal display so that the unswitched area produces only weak fluorescence and the switched areas produce strong fluorescence. This type of display then consists of bright characters on a dark background and is the reverse-contrast form of the display.
The stimulating radiation may interact either directly or indirectly with the dye. In the former case light is absorbed by the dye molecules which subsequently fluoresce at a longer wavelength. In the case of the perylene diesters which we have described in the above-mentioned publications, blue light is absorbed and green light emitted. Alternatively, the fluorescence may be stimulated by indirect excitation. In this case, the incident radiation is absorbed by some other species in the mixture, such as the liquid crystal or some other deliberately-introduced molecule. This then transfers the absorbed energy, either radiatively or non-radiatively, to the dye which subsequently fluoresces. In the above-mentioned perylene system, indirect stimulation can be effected by ultraviolet light, which is invisible, while the fluorescence remains in the green.
The stimulating radiation may be provided by a number of sources simultaneously. For example, an ultraviolet (UV) fluorescent tube acting as a backlight may be the primary stimulant, while additional stimulation may be provided by ambient UV and/or by blue light. All such sources will contribute to the brightness of the display. For a given light output from the fluorescent tube the brightness of the display will therefore vary in dependence upon the ambient light. As the fluorescent tube ages, its brightness will diminish and, for a given ambient light level, the brightness of the display will therefore decrease. In addition, the efficiency of the LCD itself will diminish with age.